Burleson Police are asking the public for help locating 14-year-old Lily Giles, who was reported as a runaway after leaving her residence in the 800 block of Sheryn Drive. She was last seen wearing a red shirt, jean shorts, and black-and-white Vans shoes, and carrying a gray and pink Juicy Couture purse.
The department shared the appeal last Friday afternoon in a post on Facebook, according to the Burleson Police Department. Police said anyone who is currently with Giles, or who locates her, should remain with her if it is safe to do so and contact authorities. The public has been asked to call the department at 817-426-9903 if they spot Giles or have any information about her whereabouts.
Burleson sits roughly 12 miles south of Fort Worth across Johnson and Tarrant counties, a suburb of more than 57,000 residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures via Wikipedia. The Sheryn Drive block where Giles was last seen sits within that broader Fort Worth metro footprint. The Burleson Police Department's communications center operates around the clock and can be reached at the tip line number for non-emergency reports, with 911 reserved for immediate sightings.
Why Runaway Reports Draw Immediate Police Attention
Under Texas law, running away from home is not treated as a crime. Texas Family Code § 51.03 classifies it as “conduct indicating a need for supervision,” meaning runaway youth cannot be committed to state juvenile correctional facilities solely for leaving home, according to the Texas District & County Attorneys Association. That legal framing shapes how police and courts are supposed to handle cases like this one, prioritizing supervision and protection over prosecution of the minor involved.
The law takes a different view of adults who might take in a runaway. Texas Penal Code § 25.06 makes it a Class A misdemeanor to knowingly harbor a runaway minor without notifying the child's parents or local law enforcement, carrying penalties of up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine, according to a legal analysis from Saputo Toufexis. That statute means good intentions alone do not shield someone who shelters a missing teen without alerting authorities.
Statewide and National Numbers Underscore the Stakes
The volume of these cases is significant. Texas logged 40,309 missing person entries in 2025, and children under 18 made up more than 70 percent of those reports, or 28,229 cases, per the Texas Center for the Missing. Nationally, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children assisted law enforcement with 32,167 missing child cases in 2025, and endangered runaways accounted for 92 percent of those reports, according to MissingKids.org.
That urgency isn't abstract. A 2024 NCMEC analysis estimated that roughly 1 in 7 reported endangered runaway children were likely victims of child sex trafficking, per the National Child Protection Task Force. Texas Department of Public Safety guidelines also require agencies to enter missing juvenile reports into the FBI's National Crime Information Center database immediately, without any mandatory waiting period.
Pattern of Public Appeals for Missing Burleson Teens
Last Friday's bulletin follows a pattern of Burleson Police turning to public appeals to find missing local youth. Hoodline previously reported on a search for 15-year-old Zoe Sanford in December, and covered a similar case involving 15-year-old Kyle Chaney Jr. in June 2025. It remains unknown, per the available police release, where Giles may have gone, whether she left with anyone, or the exact circumstances behind her departure from the Sheryn Drive home.
Families and teens in crisis can also reach the National Runaway Safeline, which offers free, confidential 24/7 crisis intervention, shelter referrals, and free bus transport home through its Home Free program, by calling or texting 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929), according to the National Runaway Safeline. Anyone with information on Lily Giles's whereabouts is urged to contact Burleson Police.
